Where 999 steps lead you to heaven's attic

They sit in lush vegetation against a clear blue backdrop, a feast for the eyes and the soul. So it is hardly surprising that this region is a magnet for tourists, particularly hikers.

- By YANG YANG

We are in Xiangxi, western Hunan province, and "they" are soaring mountains that are as ubiquitous here as skyscrapers in any big Chinese city.

At the peak of summer in Zhangjiajie, my first stop on a seven-day trip to Xiangxi, I am dragged from sleep by a blaring alarm, and I stumble out of bed with all the life of a zombie. But as I draw the curtains open I am suddenly wide awake, my heart skipping a beat as Tianmen Mountain stands starkly in the distance before me, a pitch-black silhouette that resembles a giant paperweight anchored to the Earth.

As I gaze at the mountain it strikes me that if all this were happening millions of years ago, what I would be surveying would be a marine landscape, for these colossal rocks were once submerged in the sea. Is it any wonder that the Chinese, their huge numbers making them little more than specks in an ocean of humanity, have great reverence for these timeless mountains?

Indeed, for the people of Xiangxi, Tianmen Mountain is a sacred place.

Zhangjiajie, originally known as Dayong, was once governed by the Wu Kingdom (222-280). During that time, Tianmen Mountain, then called Songliang Mountain, was already a site of great interest.